There are many opportunities for you to get involved in gathering data and observations in your local community or - in this time of social distancing - from your own backyard! Community science programs (also called 'citizen science' programs) are a great way to learn about your local rivers, lands and wildlife, and contribute to a better understanding of our natural world. To learn more about what opportunities are out there, check out the list below (adapted from a 2018 list by K. Mergenthaler & K. Hussey, of the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy)!
Below are some projects you can participate in from your home in your community:
All Living Things
iNaturalist:https://www.inaturalist.org/ - explore and share your observations of the natural world (usually requires a smart phone for taking pictures and recording sounds) BioBlitz:https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/bioblitz/ - organize an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.
Wildlife
Never Home Alone - The Wild Life of Homes: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/never-home-alone-the-wild-life-of-homes - This project aims to document the species that live indoors with humans, including spiders and insects Bumble Bee Watch (Xerces Society):https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/ - a collaborative effort to track and conserve North America’s bumble bees eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology):https://ebird.org/home - gather and share bird observations, photos and sounds Great Backyard Count (Cornell Lab of Ornithology):https://gbbc.birdcount.org/ - annual real-time snapshot of where birds are (next date is February 12-15, 2021) Nest Watch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology):https://nestwatch.org/about/overview/ - Do you have nesting birds in your yard? Join this nationwide monitoring program designed to track successes and failures of nesting birds Project Feeder Watch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology):https://feederwatch.org/ - a winter-long (November-April) survey of birds that visit backyard feeders Dragonfly Pond Watch (Migratory Dragonfly Partnership):http://www.migratorydragonflypartnership.org/index/welcome - If you have a pond or wetland on your property, join this initiative totrack the annual movements of five major migratory dragonfly species in North America Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper:https://www.monarchmilkweedmapper.org/ - If you are lucky enough to have monarch butterflies visiting your yard, join this project and helptrack monarch butterflies and milkweed across the west Osprey Watch (Center for Conservation Biology):http://www.osprey-watch.org/ - collect information on breeding osprey Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey:http://data.prbo.org/apps/pfss/ - monitor wintering shorebirds across the Pacific flyway Vaux's Happening (Vaux's Swifts):https://www.vauxhappening.org/ - observe and document communal roosting sites of the Vaux's Swift
Plants
iMapInvasives:https://www.imapinvasives.org/ - share information about invasive nonnative plants & animals in your yard and garden
Phenology (the study of seasonal animal and plant life cycle events)
Oregon Season Tracker (Oregon State University):http://oregonseasontracker.forestry.oregonstate.edu/ - gather data on precipitation and seasonal plant changes at your home (and at school too, when classes start up again!) Bud Burst:http://budburst.org/ - observe and track local leafing, flowering, fruiting and leaf-coloring phases of plants Nature's Notebook (USA National Phenology):https://www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook - Connect with nature, learn and contribute to scientific discovery by observing phenology. Globe Observer:https://observer.globe.gov/ - track changes in clouds, water, plants, and other life CoastWatch:https://oregonshores.org/coastwatch - Volunteers adopt mile-long segments of Oregon's coast, observing and reporting natural changes and human-induced impacts.
Environmental Preparedness & Resilience Empowering People (Oregon State University):http://eprep.oregonstate.edu/ - Participate in a training led by OSU scientists and learn how to take air samples that help communities better understand their air quality. The Secchi Dip In:https://www.nalms.org/secchidipin/ - gather environmentally important information on our lakes, rivers, and estuaries.
Some examples of local custom-built projects
Adopt a Botanical Area (SW Oregon): https://www.kswild.org/conservation-efforts/tag/adopt-a-botanical-area - community watchdog program in designated Botanical Areas throughout the Klamath-Siskiyou region Bald Hill Farm Turkey surveys (Greenbelt Land Trust):https://blog.nature.org/science/2018/02/21/can-you-ever-have-too-many-turkeys/ - help answer questions about the size and growth of the turkey population at Bald Hill Farm BioBlitz (Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument):https://www.cascadesiskiyou.org/bioblitz-2017 - BioBlitz event focused on collecting information on amphibian and reptile species across the diverse habitats of the Monument Fairy Shrimp & Endangered Plant surveys (The Nature Conservancy): Molly Morison, mmorison@tnc.org Minto Island Turtle Surveys (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife): Sue Beilke, sue.g.beilke@state.or.us, 503-621-3488 x228 Water Quality Monitoring:https://secure.everyaction.com/YQhutPgqQUSbgq0S2KcCUA2 - collect, transport, test, and analyze water samples
Did we miss anything? Let us know if you have another community science initiative to add by sending us an email at Outreach@LuckiamuteLWC.org or by leaving a message at 503-837-0237. Thank you!